Why were the missing women not sought for by police? Why did nothing much happen until an American tv show focused on women disappearing from the streets of Vancouver?
Look first at who the women were:
Disproportionately aboriginal;
mainly drug addicted;
all in the sex trade;
most with limited family and community ties.
In fairness to police it was possible to believe that many of the disappeared had simply left town, perhaps to escape their addictions.
But also, in fairness to the disappeared, there seemed to be a singular lack of interest in finding out what happened. Some might say the attitude appeared to consider the disappeared disposable people.
So what's the elephant in the room? Racism? Sexism? Contempt for addicts?
No - although these all play a part.
The elephant is criminal law the forces prostitutes to avoid police and live secret lives. The elephant is criminal law that forces addicts to be prostitutes and live secret lives. The elephant in the room is criminal law that telegraphs to police that some people are 'criminals' and less worthy than others. The elephant is a public health issue being dealt with by criminal law.
The monster Pickton found his victims, and hid his crimes, all because of misguided criminal laws; laws being strengthened now so that future Willie Picktons will have room to act. All who look at the evidence - from the Right and from the Left - see being 'tough on crime' is bad public policy.
Prostitutes have been held in contempt by society for a long time. Creating categories of worthless people, literally outlaws - beyond the protection of law - is wrong.
"Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." (Matthew 21:31)
"The inquiry was appointed to find out why Mr. Pickton was not arrested before February, 2002. Dozens of women went missing in the years before he was arrested. Although convicted of six murders, Mr. Pickton has said he killed 49 women.
Earlier Monday, Ms. Frey said she told Vancouver Detective Constable Lori Shenher about going to Mr. Pickton's farm in September, 1998, 3½ years before he was arrested. But during cross examination, the police officer's lawyer David Crossin said Det. Constable Shenher did not have any record of the call.
Asked if she was mistaken, Ms. Frey said she was not. "I think there is a big cover-up here," she said, as victims' families in the public gallery applauded and cheered. Pressed to suggest who was covering up and what they were covering up, Ms. Frey said she did not know. "I'm just a mother who lost her daughter," she said.
Marnie, a drug-addicted women who worked in prostitution, went missing Aug. 30, 1997. Ms. Frey said she sought police help to find Marnie within a day or two. Police records show the first missing-person report was filed in late 1997, the inquiry was told. Ms. Frey said she felt the Campbell River RCMP detachment did not take the report of her missing daughter seriously.
By November, Ms. Frey said she began searching in the Downtown Eastside for anyone who knew her stepdaughter.
In March, 1998, she met a prostitute who told her that Marnie was dead, probably killed in "that chipper," Ms. Frey said. She was told "they chop them up and you are never going to find them," she said. The woman added that the chipper was in a muddy area, by a fast-flowing river about 45 minutes from the Downtown Eastside.
Ms. Frey met others who had a tape recording of an unidentified woman talking about "Willie" who had a chipper and lived on a pig farm. Mr. Pickton, who has the middle name William, was often called Willie.
Her foster sister, Joyce Lachance, knew about a pig farm in Port Coquitlam. They went there but did not see anything. Ms. Frey said she told Det. Constable Shenher about going to the farm and the police officer said she had heard of Mr. Pickton and would look into the report."
2 comments:
Leaglizing prostitution and/or drugs would have done little.
What prostitute (esp. the drug addicted one) is going to set up business to collect GST and pay taxes? What custumer wants a receipt?
Bottom line the drug addict will always remain underground.
I have no doubt that a few female addicts will be found dead after using the Insite sites.Their next fix could be their last. Addiction usually ends badly.
Do police not search for missing women form the DTES or do they simply not search for people at all? For most of us it wouldn't be hard to find us because we use bank accounts, register cars, get jobs and stuff. It is a much more difficult thing to search for a woman who has none of these and probably doesn't use her real name in most transactions. How does one search for a missing woman who really doesn't leave much of a trail? Was it lack of care or lack of ability?
Post a Comment